Papal Moderati

The Moderati was a faction of moderate conservative politicians in the Papal States during the nineteenth century. The Moderati saw fit to adopt some liberal views in order to adapt to the ever-changing political situation in Europe, while also ensuring that the Pope's absolute power was protected, that further progress would be slowed down, and that order was maintained amidst the fragile political situation in Italy. The Moderati opposed liberal nationalism, especially opposing the Risorgimento movement, instead supporting the status quo. In the Papal conclave of 1846, conservative cardinals supported Luigi Lambruschini as the next Pope, but this effort failed. In 1848, the moderate Interior Minister, Pellegrino Rossi, was assassinated by liberal nationalists in Rome, leading to Pope Pius IX adopting more hardline, anti-liberal policies. The Moderati would dominate Papal politics from 1849 (when the Roman Republic's insurgency was crushed) until the demise of the Papal States in 1870.